Eastern distributor enters SD beer market

L. Knife & Son, a Massachusetts-based distributor, will make its first beer delivery to a San Diego outlet on Friday.

Blind Lady Ale House is the first of many local accounts, pledged Kyle Sartanowicz, L. Knife's San Diego market manager.

"Primarily we are an East Coast company," Sartanowicz said. "But we've been interested in San Diego for a long time."

While the company will initially focus on distributing San Diego beers to San Diego retailers -- Friday's Blind Lady shipment is from Sorrento Valley's New English Brewing Co. -- it will gradually offer some Eastern beers not often seen here. It also operates Beer Cloud, an Android and iPhone app that provides descriptions of beers, and tracks where they are being sold.

L. Knife's portfolio includes upstate New York's Southern Tier, Massachusetts breweries like Rapscallion and Mayflower, and the Real Ale Company of Texas.